Modernist

adj, noun

adj, noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1
A follower or proponent of modernism.
2
an artist who makes a deliberate break with previous styles wordnet

Adjective

1
Of, or relating to modernism. not-comparable
"It survived the overreach of progress once before, escaping demolition and rebuilding in the 1970s. That survival was a triumph against the "stridently modernist" plans then put forth."
2
Pertaining to the culinary arts of molecular gastronomy

Synonyms

arch-poet arriviste ballad maker balladmonger bard beat poet

Example

"Intelligence services in Algeria instead of spying on dangerous people they spy on modernist opponents and the oppressed."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From modern + -ist.

Etymology 2

Ellipsis of Modernist Cuisine, a book on molecular gastronomy.

Related phrases

modernist cooking modernist cuisine molecular gastronomy someone modern

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.